The present invention relates to skeletal fixation. In one aspect, it provides improved instruments, fixation members and methods of insertion for tibial fixation utilizing an intra-articular insertion.
Tibial fixation utilizing elongated plates or rods disposed in the intramedullary canal or plating on the tibia cortex has been previously performed to provide fixation of the proximal tibia. In a traditional approach, a plate is placed on the periosteal cortex through an open or limited open surgical approach. Alternatively, the knee joint is flexed so that the surgeon can gain access to the proximal portion of the tibia intramedullary canal. In previous intramedullary approaches, the patella is moved laterally to provide direct access to the proximal portion of the tibia. This technique is known as a medial-patella tendon approach. In this procedure, much of the trauma associated with the surgical access to the proximal portion of the tibia occurs in moving the patella laterally and posteriorly because it blocks access to the desired entry site.